Union Home Minister Amit Shah sounded the poll bugle for the general elections next year as he addressed a massive rally in Kolkata on Wednesday and targeted the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress for its corruption.
Setting the tone for the party’s Lok Sabha campaign in the State, he made it clear that the party would focus on the different scams perpetrated by the Trinamool Ministers, some of whom are already in jail following investigations by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
He also challenged Mamata Banerjee to suspend the tainted leaders but taunted: “Didi will not dare to take any such step since these leaders will then name her Bhatija Abhishek Banerjee as the prime beneficiary of the scams”.
“Even TMC MPs have tarnished the dignity of Parliament. Can MPs who seek gifts and bribes in exchange for questions contribute positively to West Bengal? The TMC has stained West Bengal’s reputation due to corruption,” Shah stated without explicitly naming anyone.
Shah accused Mamata Banerjee of destroying West Bengal and charged the Trinamool Congress Government of indulging in political violence, corruption and appeasement politics in the State.
He also asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party would form the Government with two-third majority in the State after the 2026 Assembly elections. Claiming that 212 BJP workers have been killed in the State, the Union Home Minister said people of the State would avenge these murders with their votes in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Shah also accused the Trinamool “syndicate” of preventing substantial amounts of money sent by PM Modi from reaching the poor people of Bengal. Shah quoted figures to highlight the significant rise in funding under the BJP Government compared to the previous Congress-led UPA Government.
He commended the large turnout at the rally, interpreting it as a reflection of the people’s mood, and confidently predicted a two-thirds majority for the BJP in the state in 2026.
He also asserted that no power could stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the country. He also asserted that Banerjee’s opposition to the CAA is detrimental to the State’s development.
Shah declared that the law will be implemented despite opposition. He pointed out the success of Assam in curbing infiltration after the BJP came to power, contrasting it with West Bengal’s condition due to the TMC’s “vote-bank politics”.
In his address, Shah urged the people of West Bengal to oust Banerjee’s Government in the 2026 Assembly polls and laid emphasis on establishing a foundation for this by supporting the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He appealed to the citizens to give the BJP a substantial mandate in the 2024 polls, envisioning a scenario where Prime Minister Modi would acknowledge Bengal’s pivotal role in his election as PM. “Bless him (Modi) with such a large number of votes that following his oath-taking ceremony, he ends up saying that he became the Prime Minister due to Bengal!” the Home Minister said.
Shah began by acknowledging the support received from the people of West Bengal and expressing gratitude for the 18 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly seats bestowed upon the BJP. During his speech, Shah highlighted the suspension of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari from the Assembly. Despite this, Shah asserted, the people’s voices cannot be silenced, stating: “You can suspend him, but you cannot silence the people of Bengal. They are saying that your time is over.”
The Trinamool Congress struck back soon after the BJP rally began. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party MLAs wore black clothes and sat on a dharna at the base of a statue of BR Ambedkar inside the Assembly premises soon after the BJP’s rally began, demanding that the Home Minister address the issue of pending dues to the State.
When the Trinamool Congress MLAs kept shouting slogans against the Prime Minister and Amit Shah, the BJP MLAs trooped into the Assembly and began chanting “Mamata chor, Mamata chor,” in retaliation following which the situation turned quite tense. Kunal Ghosh, the official spokesperson of the Trinamool Congress, dubbed the BJP rally as a “flopshow”.
